Special Counsel - Labor & Employment

City of Oakland, CA•Oakland, CA

49d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Oakland City Attorney's Office seeks a seasoned and well-qualified attorney with significant expertise in labor and employment law to lead its Labor and Employment Advisory Unit by overseeing attorneys handling labor and employment matters across a wide range of City departments and by providing direct legal counsel to City officials, as needed. The City Attorney's Office provides advice and counsel to the Mayor, City Council, and all City departments, boards and commissions in a wide variety of areas including land use, real estate, personnel, elections, conflicts of interest, municipal finance, retirement, housing, public contracting and economic development. The City Attorney's Office also advocates for the City's interests in claims and lawsuits litigated in state or federal court, including high-value personal injury cases, complex civil rights actions, breach of contract, personnel disputes, eminent domain actions, inverse condemnation and alleged Constitutional violations. The Office has approximately 80 employees and three divisions: Advisory, Litigation, and Operations. The work is high profile, dynamic, collaborative, and complex. And the work is of vital importance to the City's realization of its progressive and cutting-edge policies and programs, and to the City's delivery of services to Oakland's residents and businesses. The office allows for a flexible, hybrid in-office/ work-from-home schedule. The ideal candidate will have experience in one or more of the following areas: labor and employment law; conducting and/or advising on workplace or misconduct investigations; police accountability and civilian oversight; employee due-process; or collective bargaining and labor-dispute resolution. This is an exempt, at-will position, and the incumbent will receive general supervision from a Chief Assistant City Attorney or the City Attorney.

Requirements

One year of increasing responsible work experience comparable to a Deputy City Attorney IV in the City of Oakland
Ten years of professional experience in relevant areas of law
Law school graduate
A member in good standing of the California State Bar
Handle stressful and sensitive situations with tact and diplomacy.
Provide professional leadership, guidance and technical expertise to assigned staff.
Work independently or as part of a team.
Form or work with a multidisciplinary team.
Manage multiple demanding programs, cases and projects with competing deadlines.
Communicate effectively in both oral and written form with City officials, representatives of outside agencies and the public, with an emphasis on working with law enforcement and civilian oversight investigators.
Complete varied assignments within a narrow time frame.
Establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients and other contacts in the course of work.
Inspire confidence and respect for legal advice.
Skillfully and professionally present legal advice to clients, including the elected and high-level appointed officials.

Nice To Haves

Working knowledge of municipal, state and federal laws affecting City governance, particularly laws related to open meetings and public records fundamentals such as the Brown Act, Political Reform Act, and Public Records Act
Language skills, especially in Spanish, Cantonese and/or Mandarin
Experience in supervising attorneys, managing administrative matters, and overseeing outside counsel

Responsibilities

Supervising, mentoring, and supporting the attorneys within the Labor & Employment Unit.
Providing and overseeing the provision of legal advice on labor and employment programs, investigations, cases, and projects of varying complexity.
Ability to quickly develop proficiency in ancillary areas of law, including general municipal law.
Collaborating with other attorneys, City staff, and leadership to resolve complex labor and employment issues and disputes.
Consistently exercising the highest levels of professional judgement and skill in developing and maintaining client relationships.
Assigning and/or performing legal research, interpretation, and summarization of codes, ordinances, and court decisions in order to answer varied, novel and complex personnel and employment questions.
Advising and training City investigators, department heads, and leaders on employee misconduct, discipline and due process, grievances, and other complex personnel and employment matters, with a particular emphasis on police personnel issues, including investigations conducted by the Police Department's Internal Affairs Bureau.
Preparing and/or reviewing legal opinions, ordinances, resolutions, employment contracts, collective bargaining agreements, settlements and other legal documents that may require labor and employment law expertise.
Providing and/or overseeing representation of the City in administrative proceedings, including labor arbitrations, Civil Service Board hearings, and hearings before the Public Employee Relations Board.
Advising and supporting City executives and designated negotiators in labor bargaining, including assisting in preparation for negotiations, development of strategies and proposals, and presentations to the City Council in closed sessions.

Benefits

15 paid holidays.
Vacation- 2 weeks per year minimum with the ability to accrue more depending on public sector years of service.
Management Leave - 5 days + 5 days of discretionary leave for superior performance.
Sick leave - Employees accrue 12 days per year.
Retirement - CalPERS (California Public Employees' Retirement System) with a pension formula of 2.5% @ 55 (for Classic CalPERS members) and 2% @ 62 for new CalPERS members. Classic Employees contribute 8% of pre-tax wages. The City of Oakland does not participate in Social Security.
Health - The City of Oakland pays for the cost of employee and eligible dependent coverage at the Kaiser rate. Other plans include Anthem, Blue Shield, United Health Care and other HMO and PPO plan.
Dental - The City of Oakland pays for Delta Dental full premium for employees and eligible dependents.
Vision - The City of Oakland pays for VSP full premium for employees and eligible dependents.
Deferred Compensation - 457(b) pre-tax plan and an after-tax ROTH 401(k)plan.
Other benefits include a Flexible Spending Account, Wellness Program, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Tuition Reimbursement, Employee Training, & Telecommuting.